


Food

by Pixelatrix



Series: Universal Truth One-Shots: Darby in Boot Camp [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 11:04:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1017834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This one-shot related to my Universal Truth story is all about Darby hording food while in Boot Camp and how Wallace responds to that. Silly nonsense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Food

**Author's Note:**

> Bioware owns all, sadly.
> 
> Except Wallace, and the rest of my OC for the Universal Truth world.
> 
> As always, I am open to prompts.
> 
> Beta: CelticGrace

Wallace watched from the door of the barracks as Shepard shoved a few rolls and a powerbar into the pillowcase on her bunk.  Bayer had brought to his attention the fact that she seemed to be constantly stealing food from the mess.  He decided to follow her to see what she did with it.

The other instructors had punished her with KP duty the first time that she’d been caught doing it.  It hadn’t seemed to really dissuade her.  Wallace was more interested in why.  Punishment didn’t seem to deter Shepard from anything really.  Yelling had no effect on her either.

He hadn’t expected to find her hiding the damn food though.  He knew enough about her past to know that food had probably been hard to come by at times.  The other instructors had left the matter in his hands because he tended to be the most intimidating of them.  Difficult recruits were always _his_ responsibility.

It wouldn’t solve anything if Wallace tore into her about the food.  He knew what growing up on the streets was like.  The last thing that he wanted to do was make her food hording worse.  He moved further into the barracks.

Shepard froze when she heard his footsteps.  She glanced over her shoulder with her hand still inside the pillowcase.  “Major Wallace, Sir.”

“At ease, Shepard.  I think it’s time that we had a little talk.” Wallace sat on the bunk across from hers.  He motioned for her to take a seat.

“KP duty?” She dropped down on her own bunk with a groan. “I hate fucking KP duty.”

Wallace shook his head with a laugh. “No, I don’t think I’m going to inflict you on the cooks for another week. They might fucking mutiny on us and then I’d have to cook my own damn breakfast.”

Shepard grinned at him then seemed to realize that she was sitting across from _The Wall_ and rearranged her expression into a less amused look. “I’ll…”

He held his hand up to stop her. “I lived on the streets for several years before one of my schoolmates told his parents.  They took me in and tried to take care of me.  I know what it’s like to not have food, to not know when your next meal is going to be.”

“What the fuck is that to me, Sir?” Shepard asked gruffly.

“Oh, nothing.  I just thought that you’d like to know that I told the Sergeant in charge of the mess that you have my permission to get something to eat whenever you want.” Wallace watched as she tried to keep the mask of indifference on her face. “And it won’t be taken out of your pay.”

“I’m not fucking sleeping with you.” Her eyes narrowed at him again.

“Well, good, I’m not fucking asking you to.” He snapped back at her.

“Then…why?”

_Of all the…_

“You’re too fucking scrawny and I’m tired of hearing complaints about you shoving food into your pockets.” Wallace left out that he thought maybe it would help her relax a little more into being part of the Alliance. 

“Thanks, Sir.” She was looking at him like she thought he was a fucking idiot.

“Maybe now you’ll stop stealing my fucking beer.” Wallace grinned at the wicked smirk that she sent his way. “Probably not.  I’ve never had so much damn trouble with a recruit class.”

 


End file.
